Façade | Jerza

31 | Another Man's Confession

Azuma recovered and got on his feet upon finding Jellal. The mage's smile grew upon witnessing the man responsible for Erza's rescue.

"From Wendy, to Mirajane, to Erza. I had not expected you to come out victorious." Jellal stated, pointing Erza's blade in Azuma's direction. "This is where your journey ends."

"I didn't think you could outwit Master Hades' plan. A miscalculation on my part, but this has raised the stakes significantly."

Erza gripped onto Jellal tightly, sensing the impending energy Jellal was about to radiate. Oh, he definitely intended to end Azuma quickly, and what better way to do it than with a powerful spell?

"There are no stakes if you kill me." Jellal assured, making his defeat sound trivial. "I've outlived my purpose in this war."

"That doesn't matter to me. I seek a fight with you, Jellal."

"Well then, I shall grant you what you so desire." Jellal replied, preparing to attack Azuma. He raised his right hand and produced a gravity field in it. Erza found her footing and stepped out of Jellal's grasp, falling to the ground. She used her Telekinesis to bring the Benizakura blade into her hands, uncaring about her ruined Heart Kreuz armour.

She would finish this battle.

Jellal looked down at Erza. "Stand back, I'll finish him."

She moved before Jellal could say anything else. The Wizard Saint watched as Azuma lost his footing, blood spraying his body. Erza leaped gracefully and pierced her blade into Azuma, not wasting another moment under their attentive gazes.

She landed on the turf, near Azuma as the Grimoire Heart mage gasped. Out of breath, Erza fell to her knees, panting heavily.

Though, when Erza turned to him, she found him contentedly smiling.

"Refusing to hand over your battles—what an interesting person you are, Erza." Azuma commented, before the forestation process of his body began as nature grew around and on his body, making him one with the land.

Erza realized he referred to Jellal, and so she gave no response. She did not want somebody else to take on the role of defeating him, be it Mirajane, Simon, or even Jellal.

Erza observed as Azuma's death played out in front of them. "What's happening to your body?"

"It's a consequence of lost magic." He simply explained, as roots of plants and trees ceaselessly grew on his body.

"Lost magic? What does your guild truly seek?"

Azuma barely smiled. "Ultear had initially tried manipulating Jellal into the darkness. He was supposed to be a distraction for the Magic Council while we obtained our keys. That clearly did not go as planned. But if you asked anyone truly devoted to Zeref, they would tell you that they sought freedom. They sought the Grand Magic World. Paradise."

Erza shivered and glanced up at Jellal, who had been listening to the conversation the entire time, perched on a tree branch with his legs crossed.

She refused to imagine him as a possessed mage.

"So that's when I got exposed to the Black Arts." Jellal noted, recalling his escape from a torture chamber long ago. "I only made it out alive because I killed the two cult members who tortured me. I suppose Ultear was not entirely unsuccessful, seeing that I inherited some magic. Had I been a bit more vengeful towards the cultists, I may have fallen victim to her magic."

Azuma chuckled, "Perhaps it got you your freedom today, Jellal."

Jellal closed his eyes momentarily as he regretfully recalled the horrendous memory of his first time taking another life. "I suppose it got me this far in life."